Letters to Policy Makers

Letter to Energy Ministers on ambitious Energy Union Governance

This letter was sent ahead of the High-level Conference on Energy 'Europe’s Future Electricity Market'

Dear Minister,

Next week you will travel to Tallinn, Estonia to discuss amongst several other issues, the proposedRegulation for Energy Union Governance.

The proposed centralisation of climate and energy policy planning and reporting obligations is anopportunity to achieve better policy integration and track progress of implementation. This in turncan support increased climate ambition and a faster energy transition, if the legislation is done right.

Key questions for the discussions on the Governance regulation is how the ambition of the 2030targets can be safeguarded, and what measures and mechanisms need to be in place in case there isa risk of not meeting the EU level targets.

Firstly, CAN Europe believes that national binding targets for renewable energy and energyefficiency would be the most favourable option to ensure there is no ambition or delivery gap, toarrive at a fair and balanced regulation, to support the EU and its Member States in achieving itsEnergy Union objectives and to provide certainty to investors in your country. With the ParisAgreement requiring an overhaul of all EU climate and energy policies, it is not only legitimate, butalso necessary for the Council to re-consider and revise upwards the position that was agreed by theEuropean Council in 2014.

The rapid process that the EU underwent to ratify the Paris Agreement is an excellent example thatthe EU institutions and its leaders can push for new initiatives and rapid decision-making whenneeded. We therefore call on you to support national binding targets, or if no agreement is foundnow, to at least support a safeguard in the Governance regulation that allows binding nationaltargets to be introduced at a later stage.

Secondly, CAN Europe welcomes that the proposed regulation contains a requirement for MemberStates to follow, for the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency, linear trajectoriesbetween 2021-2030. These national linear trajectories are a necessity for Member States and the EUas a whole to know if they are on track to meet the 2030 targets and to take action in due time incase there is a gap. Furthermore, it is clear that the EU will have to do more than currently planned ifit is to live up to its commitments to the Paris Agreement.

Lastly, CAN Europe further suggests that the Governance regulation should be linked to the EUbudget by establishing conditionalities which incentivise higher climate and clean energy ambitions.This provision is crucial to align investments needed for achieving the specific targets with financingcommitments. Such targeted use of EU funds will thus increase the European added value of EUfinancial support on national level. It will also provide for long-term planning and investmentcertainty which private investors seek. We therefore call on you to support a stronger link to the EUbudget within the Governance framework.

We hope these thoughts are useful for your assessment of the critical issues concerning theGovernance regulation and for your discussions during the upcoming informal Energy Council.

1 February 2018
It’s time for more transparency in the EU’s climate and energy planning and modelling
Dear President Juncker,
cc. First Vice-President Frans Timmermans,
Our organisations represent a broad spectrum of interests in the sustainable transition of the EU’s energy system. We have a common concern about the level of transparency and public participation in the development of pathways that are coherent with the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. In fact, stakeholder engagement in discussing the foundations, deciding on the modelling parameters and approaches for assessing the impacts of different pathways is crucial to ensure the right choices are made.

EU governments must step back from irreparably weakening Europe’s biggest climate law, six of Europe’s leading environmental NGOs have said, after talks between member states and the European Parliament ended in deadlock this week.